World News - MI6 cold war spy revealed as 'big fish' double agent · Russian unknowingly betrayed UK for 15 years · Then he did it on purpose for another 15 years

Hitler had just been defeated, Stalin was victorious and Viktor Bogomolets was down on his luck. After more than three decades spying for British intelligence, Bogomolets, who began working for MI6 shortly after the Russian revolution, was curtly informed that he had been stripped of his British citizenship. It was at this point that Bogomolets decided to betray his British masters. According to papers declassified yesterday by Russia's foreign intelligence service, the SVR, he became one of Moscow's most accomplished double agents. In 1945 he began spying for the Soviet Union, passing crucial information back to Moscow about British intelligence at the height of the Cold war. Codenamed "Britt" by his Soviet handlers, Bogomolets' reports were circulated among the top echelons of the Soviet Union's leadership - and were even read by Stalin himself.... http://www.guardian.co.uk

China is planning to implement new rules to curb steep rises in the cost of grave plots in cemeteries as speculators spread their influence. The authorities say they will require those wanting to buy plots to show death certificates. The price of land for grave plots is nearly double that of houses in some areas, according to state media. China faces a farmland shortage so the government encourages cremation. But many people prefer to bury their dead. The price of a funeral plot now averages 7,800 yuan ($1,000; £500) per square metre in Zhengzhou, the capital of central China's Henan province, up from about 5,000 yuan two years ago, the China Daily newspaper said. By comparison, houses in the city average about 4,000 yuan per square metre. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6521527.stm

Nigeria's electoral body has been told to allow Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to run for president in April's poll. The Federal High Court in Abuja ruled the electoral body lacked the power to exclude Mr Abubakar from the election. But this contradicts a ruling made hours earlier by a superior court which said the Independent National Electoral Commission could disqualify candidates. Mr Abubakar became a leading opposition candidate after falling out with former ally President Olusegun Obasanjo. Justice Tijani Abubakar at the Federal High Court ordered Inec to respect the verdict and put Mr Abubakar's name on the 21 April ballot....http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6521615.stm

The Department of Homeland Gestapo announced the first federal rules setting security standards Monday for 7,000 of the nation’s 15,000 chemical plants, with an emphasis on the 300-400 highest-risk plants. Using a four-tier system, DHS will assess each plant for the type and amount of chemicals present as well as its proximity to large population centers. The most vulnerable, and therefore highest risk plants, will get the most attention and have the most stringent security rules. Plant access, general security, theft prevention and sabotage prevention will be specifically targeted. Also, for the first time, DHS will require all chemical plant workers to be subject to a standard background check. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/03/politics/main2641304.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._2641304

Nearly 400 people have been killed in fighting between insurgents and Ethiopian-backed troops in the Somali capital Mogadishu since Thursday, according to a local human rights group. The International Committee of the Red Cross , meanwhile, described the fighting in the capital as the worst for more than 15 years. Using figures collated from hospitals, burial grounds and residents, the Elman human rights organisation said that 381 people had died in the clashes, with 565 more wounded. The toll excluded Ethiopian fatalities. More than 47,000 people have fled the city since March 21, according to the UN refugee agency - with 10,000 freshly displaced since last Thursday, when the offensive to defeat the insurgents began....http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2048612,00.html

The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season should be "very active," with 17 named storms, a top storm forecaster said Tuesday.Those named storms are expected to include five intense or major hurricanes, according to forecaster William Gray's team at Colorado State University. Gray said there is a 74 percent probability of a major hurricane hitting the U.S. coast.The team's forecasts are based on global oceanic and atmospheric conditions.Last year, Gray's forecast -- as well as government forecasts -- was higher than what the Atlantic hurricane season produced. Gray's team said the reason was a late El Niño that altered oceanic conditions....http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/04/03/hurricane.forecast.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us